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SUMMARY:Text Readability Assessment for Second Language Learners - Menglin
  Xia (University of Cambridge)
DTSTART:20160701T110000Z
DTEND:20160701T120000Z
UID:TALK66707@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Kris Cao
DESCRIPTION:\nDeveloping reading ability is an essential part of language 
 acquisition. One of the core tasks is finding appropriate reading material
  for language learners at specific levels of language\nproficiency\, which
  often proves challenging for both English instructors and readers. To aut
 omate the process of reading material selection and of reading ability ass
 essment\, a system that focuses on text readability analysis for second la
 nguage (L2) learners is proposed.\n\nThe first part of the talk will prese
 nt a dataset of CEFR-graded texts tailored for L2 learners of English and 
 present a system aimed at automated text readability assessment for both n
 ative and L2 learners. We will address techniques used in the system (such
  as methods of generalisation\, domain adaptation\, and self-learning tech
 niques) and discuss further challenges in this field. In the second part o
 f the talk\, we will present a prototype system aimed at automatically fin
 ding texts at appropriate levels of readability\, and we will discuss the 
 design of the automatically generated tasks to test learners' reading prof
 iciency.
LOCATION:FW26\, Computer Laboratory
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